Following on the heels of game-changing data showing its investigatory hepatitis C cocktail produced cures in over 93 percent of  study participants, Abbott has announced Phase III clinical trials of three direct acting agents. Known as Aviator, the Phase IIb results were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) in Boston.

These further clinical trial sites will spread across 29 countries and include more than 2,000 patients with hep C genotype 1—the most common in the United States and the most difficult to treat with today’s interferon-based therapies. The direct acting agents under study include ABT-450/r, which is a protease inhibitor that’s taken with ritonavir; the NS5A inhibitor ABT-267; and a non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor called ABT-333. Non-cirrhotic patients will undergo 12 weeks of therapy, while cirrhotic patients will take the cocktail for 12 or 24 weeks. At the completion of treatment, all patients will be followed for 48 weeks. Abbott will use a co-formulated tablet of ABT-450/4 and ABT-267 in the trial.

To read the Abbott statement, click here.